Report on Lake Dinah avalanche deaths sheds light on tragedy

A preliminary report into the death of two individuals who died in an avalanche while snowmobiling in the Lake Dinah area northwest of Seeley Lake on New Year’s Day offers further insight into the event — a tragedy avalanche research officials say warrants a larger conversation about the importance of practicing snowmobile and avalanche safety.

The report, released by the West Central Montana Avalanche Center on Monday, states three riders were caught and carried a short distance by the avalanche at approximately 2 p.m. Jan.1 Two were fully buried, and one “extricated himself after being separated from his snowmobile.”

The Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche warning on New Year’s Day after a significant storm deposited up to 3.5 inches of “snow-water equivalent on an already unstable snowpack,” the report reads.

“We [avalanche centers] issue avalanche warnings when conditions are very dangerous. That typically means large or very large avalanches are likely, and that even small slopes can produce avalanches large enough to bury or injure a person,” said Blase Reardon, lead avalanche forecaster for the Flathead Avalanche Center.

According to the report, the three riders had been playing on a small and open 30- to 35-degree slope at 6,740 feet in elevation. The avalanche measured 560 feet from the crown to the deposition zone. Reardon said although a slope that size may appear harmless at first blush, that is no reason to dismiss the possibility of a dangerous avalanche.

“A large number of fatal avalanche accidents occur on relatively small slopes. People often don’t recognize those slopes as avalanche terrain, or underestimate the consequences of a slide occurring on those slopes,” Reardon said.

According to the report, one of the three riders had gotten his machine stuck partway up the slope when one of his friends rode up to help dig out the stuck snowmobile. That friend was shortly followed by the third rider, and as he parked his snowmobile by his two friends, an avalanche released, “sweeping all three riders downslope, partially burying rider No. 3 (the last to arrive at the stuck snowmobile) and fully burying riders No. 1 and No. 2.”

The rider who was partially buried was able to rescue himself and immediately called 911. He then began a transceiver search and quickly located one of the other two riders who was buried an estimated 5.5 feet.

The report states both the remaining rider and search teams, which arrived on the scene at approximately 4 p.m., performed CPR on the man that was found first. The second buried rider was quickly located under about 7.5 feet of snow by a volunteer member of the public assisting in the rescue. He did not have a transceiver.

The two recovered riders, Jade Green, 24, and Lowell Grosvold, 26, were pronounced dead at the scene. The third rider was not injured.

“Many fatal avalanche accidents in western Montana share common characteristics,” Reardon said. “Riders often aren’t carrying or wearing avalanche safety gear, they have limited avalanche safety training, they haven’t read the current avalanche advisory, and there are multiple riders on a slope at the same time, often helping one rider get unstuck.”

Reardon elaborated that these factors make it difficult for people to survive even small avalanches, turning “mistakes or misjudgments” that might be learning opportunities into tragedy.

Reardon and other avalanche center officials said even experienced snowmobilers are not immune to such incidents. They pointed to “misleading information” presented in a recent article by the Associated Press in which a coroner in Missoula said he would classify the victims as “being expert snowmobilers,” adding “they weren’t in an area they shouldn’t have been in, they weren’t doing things they shouldn’t have been doing…”

Avalanche experts say statements like these can be dangerous, and detract from educational efforts.

“Good riding skills aren’t the same as good avalanche safety skills,” Reardon stressed. “A good rider might see a steep slope as a challenge, or a good place to play. A rider with avalanche training might recognize it as a dangerous avalanche path, or recognize that conditions are unusually dangerous.”

The coroner had also stated in the Jan. 3 article this particular avalanche wasn’t something “we’d expect to slide” — a finding that contradicts the report.

With winter storm warnings already going in and out of effect throughout the valley and elsewhere in Montana, Reardon said the Flathead Avalanche Center has two primary concerns going into the next few snow days.

The first concern is avalanches that can break in the new snow. Those might be relatively small, but as the snow accumulates those become bigger and more dangerous. The second are breaks on old snow and weak layers that have developed since the solstice, Reardon said.

“Storm snow and wind-drifted snow have buried these layers with thick slabs. We are concerned about these slabs releasing on the buried weak layers,” Reardon said. “The resulting avalanches can be several feet deep and break pretty wide.”

He said those looking to recreate, particularly in the backcountry, need to check for avalanche advisory warnings before heading out. He also said if snowmobilers and other outdoors enthusiasts have not attended an avalanche safety course or need a refresher, www.flatheadavalanche.org/education provides a list of classes.

“Although the number of people riding in the backcountry has spiked in recent decades, the number of avalanche fatalities has remained constant,” Reardon said. “Better avalanche training and advisories work to keep people safe, so they can enjoy great skiing, snowmobiling, snowboarding, whatever, and come home after every ride.” ¦

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com.